Work holding and positioning device



arm/m Nov. 6, 1934. R. STEMPELIN WORK HOLDING AND POSITIONING DEVICE FiledJan. 12, 1953 Patented Nov. 6, 1 934 UNETED STATES PATENT orrics 1,980,106 WORK HOLDING AND POSITIONING DEVICE New Jersey Application January 12,

1933, se ial NO. 651,281

In Great Britain October 1, 1932 Claims.

like, means for rotating the needle blank or the like clamped between said jaws, and a yieldin detector engageable in such rotation with the groove or one of the grooves in the'needle blank or thelike to restrain the needle blank or the like against further rotation and bring it to rest in a predetermined position defined by the location of the groove.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the invention Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a clamp adapted to engage a needle blank, the clamp being closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the clamp in open position. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the lower jaw. Fig.5 is a cross section to a larger scale showing a needle blank located within the clamp. Fig. 6 is a section at right angles to Fig. 5 but to a smaller scale.

Referring to the drawing, 1 denotes a track member presenting on its upper face a groove 1' along which needle blanks are advanced axially one at a time, blade end first, in the direction indicated by the arrow A. The groove 1' is in 535 register with a passage in a clamp consisting of upper and lower article supporting members or jaws of which the upper jaw 4 is fitted with a re movable and exchangeable block 2 secured by means of a screw 3 and presenting a groove 5 of a diameter corresponding to that of the blade of the needle blank to be machined, and the lower jaw 7 presents a recess 21 constituting, in conjunction with a recess 22 in the block 2, a fiared entrance into the passage aiforded by the groove 5. The jaw 7 has a needle-blade supporting face adjacent to the groove 21 and opposed to the jaw 4. Although the needle is not shown in Figs. 1 to 4, it will be understood from inspection of Fig. 5 that the needle blank is so far advanced within the groove 5 that the needle-shank is disposed in the groove 21 of the jaw-member 7 and that the grooved portion of the needle-blade is disposed between the jaws, withpartof theneedl blade projecting beyond the jaws 4, 7, .so that it may be engaged by a chuck by which it is held during the machining operation.

Anchored to the lower jaw 7 is one end of a bent blade spring or detector 8, the free end of which is resiliently movable vertically in a slot 9 in said jaw 7 and is opposed to the jaw 4, and which spring, when the groove 5 is unoccupied, normally projects resiliently into said groove 5. but which is depressed when a needle blade is advanced into the groove 5. The arm of the detector 8 which is anchored to the jaw 7 constitutes, in efiect, spring-pressed means yieldingly urging the free .end of the detector upwardly toward the upper jaw 4.

For imparting axial rotation to the needle blank while clamped between the jaws, there is arranged above the track member 1 a rotatable friction-coated roller 6 engageable with the shank portion of the needle blank, asdescribed, for example, in the specification of U. S. Patent No. 1,125,706 dated 19th January, 1915.

As will be evident, in the axial rotation of the needle blank, when the longitudinal groove in the needle blade is brought to the underside, the free end of the spring 8 snaps into the groove in the needle blade and detains the needle blank in position grooved side undermost so that the end of the needle blade projecting beyond the jaws 4, 7 is ready for engagement by the chuck.

The duration of contact of the friction roller 5 6 with the shank portion of the needle blank is such that the needle blank may perform a partial rotation until the needle groove is engaged by the spring 8. After each cycle of rotation of the friction roller 6 the roller is lifted from the needle blank now located ready for its engagement by the chuck.

The upper jaw 4 of'the clamp is presented by one armof' a two-armed lever 4, 4 fulcrumed at 11 on an axis parallel to the groove 1 and 5 urged into engagement with the lower jaw 7 by a spring 10. The lower jaw 7 is constituted as a one-armed lever also fulcrumed at 11 and having at its free end a projection 12' overhung by a shoulderon a vertically adjustable catch bar 12 which determines the uppermost position of the lower jaw-7. e

For opening the clamp and releasing the needle blank after engagement of the needle blank by thechuck there is provided in association with the chuck a rocker 14 controlled by a cam, not

Between the lower jaw 7and one arm 17 of a no two-armed lever 17, 17 pivoted at 16 is interposed a link '7 whereby the lever 1'7, 17 is rocked on its pivot 16 on depression of the lower jaw 7. The arm 17' of the lever 1'7, 17 has a pin and slot engagement with the arm 18 of a two-armed lever 18, 18' which is pivoted at 19 and of which the arm 18 is connected by a link 20 to the arm 4' of the lever 4, 4'. i

It will thus be seen that depression of th lower jaw '7 is accompanied by lifting movement of the upper jaw 4.

The needle blank being engaged by the chuck, on release of the clamp the chuck and the clamp are moved relatively apart, the rocker 14 rising, so that the spring 10 effects closure of the clamp ready for reception of a succeeding needle.

As already stated, the block 2 is regnovably fitted to the upper jaw 4, so that for diiierent diameters of needles one block 2 may be readily replaced by another on removing the upper jaw 4 by disengaging the fulcrum pin 11 therefrom. On release of the screw 24 uniting the lower jaw 7 with the link '7' the lower jaw I may also be removed and replaced by another jaw suited for needle blanks of a different diameter.

I claim:-

1. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles, comprising article-supporting and rotating means, and a spring-pressed detector mounted for yielding movements relatively to said supporting means in position to engage the rotated article and enter the groove therein whereby to restrain the article against further rotation and determine its position.

2. A device for positioning round longitudinal- 1y grooved articles comprising non-rotatable jaws,

means yieldingly urging said jaws into jaw-close ing position to enter into slipping engagement with the article, article rotating means, and a spring-pressed detector fitted for yielding movement independently of said jaws and relatively to an article engaged thereby to enter the groove in the article and to restrain the article against further rotation.

3. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles, comprising non-rotatable jaws adapted to enter into slipping engagement with the article, one of said jaws grooved for reception of the article and another jaw presenting a passage in register with the groove in the first mentioned jaw, means normally urging said jaws towards one another, means for rotating the article, and a detector penetrating the passage in the second mentioned jaw and engageable with a groove in the article when clamped between said jaws.

4. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles, comprising a pair of pivoted jaws, a block removably fitted to one of said jaws and grooved for reception of a grooved portion of the article, means normally urging said jaws to pivotally swing towards one another to enter into slipping engagement with the article, means for rotating the article relatively to anchored to one of said jaws for yielding movements relatively to the other jaw, the resilient free end of said blade spring positioned to engage a groove in the article when clamped between said jaws.

6. A- device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles, comprising a pair of pivoted jaws having a common fulcrum and adapted to enter into slipping engagement with the article, spring means normally urging said jaws towards one another, article rotating means, and a detector non-rotatable relatively to said jaws and engageable with a groove in the article to restrain the article against further rotation and determine its position.

7. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles, comprising a pair of jaws adapted to enter into slipping engagement with the grooved portion of the article, means for effecting axial rotation of the article relatively to and when engaged by said jaws, means normally. urging said jaws towards one another, and a spring pressed detector non-rotatable relatively to and resiliently movable crosswise of said jaws for engagement with a groove in the article when clamped between said jaws to restrain the article against further rotation and determine its position I 8. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles, comprising a pair of jaws adapted to enter into slipping engagement with the grooved portion of the article, spring means normally urging said jaws towards one another, article rotating means, a detector connected to one of said jaws and resiliently movable toward the other jaw for engagement with a groove in the article to restrain the article against further rotation and determine its position, and means for periodically moving said jaws apart and disengaging said detector from the article.

9. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles comprising, article supporting means adapted to engage the grooved portion of the article, means for rotating the article relatively to said supporting means, and a spring-pressed detector positioned with respect to said supporting means to engage the rotated article and enter the groove therein, whereby'to restrain the article against further rotation and determine its position.

10. A device for positioning round longitudinally groovedarticles comprising, article supporting means adapted to engage the grooved portionof the article, article rotating means, a detector, and resilient means constantly urging said detector for movement in a direction to yieldingly engage the rotated article and enter the groove therein, whereby to restrain the article against further rotation and determine its position.

11. A device for positioning round longitudi-' nally grooves articles comprising, spring-pressed article-supporting members adapted to yieldingly enter into slipping engagement with the grooved portion of the article, means for rotating the article relatively to said members, and an endwise resilient detector positioned to engage the rotated article and enter the groove therein, whereby to restrain the article against further rotation and determine its position.

12. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles comprising, an article support, means for rotating the article relatively to said support,a nonsrotatable jaw adapted to engage the grooved portion of the article, and a detector resiliently opposed tosaid jaw positioned and proportioned to enter the groove of the rotated article and thereby restrain further rotation of said article.

13. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles comprising, a track-member provided with an article receiving groove, a pair of opposed relatively movable jaws disposed at one end of said track-member adapted to enter into slipping engagement with the grooved portion of the article and to expose a portion of the length of the article, means adapted to engage the exposed portion of the article adjacent to said jaws for effecting axial rotation of the article relatively to said jaws, and a spring-pressed detector positioned to yieldingly engage the rotated article and enter the groove therein, whereby to restrain the article against further rotation and determine its position.

14. A device for positioning round longitudinally grooved articles comprising, a pair of jaws adapted to enter into slipping engagement with the article, means connecting said jaws together for reciprocal movements towards and from each other, article rotating means, means normally urging said jaws towards one another, means for efiecting axial rotation of the article when engaged by said jaws, and a spring-pressed detector carried by one of said jaws in position to enter the groove in the article to thereby position said article.

15. A device for positioning needles having a round shank and a longitudinally grooved blade comprising, a jaw-member having a needle-shank receiving groove and a needle-blade supporting face, a jaw opposed to the needle-blade supporting face of said jaw-member, means urging said jaws towards one another into slipping engagement with the needle, means adapted to engage the shank of a needle disposed upon said jawmember for effecting axial rotation of the needle, and an endwise resilient detector engageable with a groove in the needle-blade during rotation thereof.

RALPH STEMPELIN. 

